Jazzercise Opens at our Riverside Property

As a fiercely driven small-business owner who also holds a separate full-time job and has five daughters to boot, you could say Jennifer McGonigle has a full plate.

McGonigle is a clinical social worker/certified case manager for Children’s Mercy Hospital. With her husband, Pat, she is a devoted mother to five girls aged 16 to 23. The business she owns is Jazzercise Kansas City Northland, which just opened its new location in Curry Real Estate Service’s Briarside Center, 2908 NW Vivion in Riverside. She says Jazzercise changed her life.

“Jazzercise is my passion and joy,” McGonigle said. “I was blown away the first time I tried Jazzercise. It checked all the boxes – challenging, fun and the energy group fitness creates is exhilarating. I knew right away that someday I would be an instructor. Then I dreamed about being an owner. That dream has come true.”

The business has always been located in the northland, most recently on Barry Road. “Driving around I would see these Curry Real Estate signs and I filed that away thinking I would look them up one day,” she said. “And that is exactly what I did.”

She noticed the space available in Riverside, a little tucked away with plenty of parking. She liked all that was happening in the city – new public library and Red X, ambitious plans for a new amphitheater – and loved the city’s tagline, “Upstream from ordinary.” The move happened June 1.

“It was my first move,” McGonigle said. “I am very detail oriented, a bit of a control freak and had never worked with commercial real estate people, so I was nervous entering into all of this. I needn’t have been. Working with Matt (Pepper, Curry vice president) over the months of build out was almost too good to be true. He was very patient with me, took time to get to know my priorities and goals. It was an awesome experience. I always felt like I was in really great hands.”

With its inception in 1969, Jazzercise is the longest running group fitness studio in the industry. Despite the misconception of it being a workout routine still rooted in the 1970’s (leg warmers and all), McGonigle says the opposite is true. Jazzercise corporate leaders have always kept the program on top of the latest fitness trends.

“It is high energy cardio and strength training choreographed to today’s hottest music,” she said. “Every move can be tailored to your fitness level. Our members are mostly women, but we do have guys come in for classes as the workout can be challenging. For many members, it is the new friendships and a sense of community that can be the most rewarding.”